LET THE GAMES BEGIN! 07 JULY 2019
OPENING CEREMONY - SOUTH PACIFIC GAMES 2019 APIA, WESTERN SAMOA

Dark gray, ominous rain-laden clouds and oppressive humidity filled the skies (yet again) over Apia, which was cloaked in the typical Sunday morning religious silence as the whole island quietly awaited the evening opening of the Olympic-styled 2019 Pacific games. This much anticipated event features over 3000 athletes from 23 south pacific countries who will participate in 27 different athletic events over the next 14 days.
Will it be rained out, cancelled?

That was the question on everyone's mind as we anxiously watched the gloomy threatening skies, which stubbornly held on to their watery burden until 2 PM, when sudden gusts of wind were followed by a relentless, torrential downpour which released several inches of rain over the next 2.5 hours, requiring repositioning of rain canvases and frequent mopping on all the boats in the marina. We could only imagine what the stadium grounds looked like at that point. Mercifully, around 5 pm the rain stopped, though the gray skies and oppressive humidity remained. People starting appearing on the dock and cars appeared on the nearby road. Most of the marina occupants had tickets to the opening ceremony, and we all agreed that we would walk over to the stadium (only 1 mile away) and hope for the best.

The roads were gridlocked with buses and vans headed to the stadium, with many people walking through giant puddles of standing water or slippery mud. Fortunately, the air was much cooler and clearer after the rains, and you could feel the excitement in the streets, with blaring music, colorful waving flags and costumes all around. We sloshed through thick mud on our way to our covered seats in the modern open-air stadium, where a large "video-tron" screen and giant stadium lights illuminated a wet field with costumed dancers already in position. No question, this show would go on.

The ceremony started exactly on time at 630 PM, with the parade of athletes from each participating country, each marching in the colorful costumes of their home country, some groups stopping to entertain the crowd with tribal war dances, including the "haka". The oval track on the perimeter of the field was relatively dry, though the inner grassy area was saturated and muddy. The procession of athletes was colorful and boisterous with the number of participants ranging from as few as 10 to as high as 685 athletes per country (Samoa).

A beautiful and dramatic program of dance, song and storytelling followed, using over 3000 college students to perform colorful choreographed dances set to a story of Polynesian lore. The pageantry equaled any I have seen on TV of Olympic games opening ceremonies. The 3-hour program was concluded by the carrying of the torch through the various villages (depicted on the giant TV screen) followed by the final torch bearer entering the stadium and lighting the giant torch, over 25 ft tall.

The deep pride, joy and excitement of the local people whom I am certain have rarely seen such a magnificent sight was infectious and brought tears to the eyes. The evening concluded with a truly amazing fireworks display which lasted over 45 minutes non-stop. (we later learned that this display was underwritten by the Chinese, who have been major supporters of these events, including re-construction of a massive, state of the art indoor aquatic center).
The following day, the athletic events began in very muddy conditions, with a number of events delayed or rescheduled due to recurring rains and drenched fields. Ian and I hoped to see several of the venues, including swimming, rugby, beach volleyball, weather permitting.

Departure Plans:
We were planning to leave for Tonga later in the week, but persistent bad weather and high seas have us again postponing our departure, however we will proceed with our re-fueling plan on Friday with a plan of departing for Niuatoputapu Tonga on the 17th July for a couple of days before heading to Neiafu and the Vava'u Group of northern Tonga. Diving, Snorkeling, Cruising, Swimming with the whales...Yeah! another new adventure...

Later this week;
We watched indoor swimming finals in the massive aquatic center, pleased that Samoa took 2 gold medals to the delight of the capacity crowd. New Caledonia has dominated in the swimming overall. We will see beach volleyball today on the beach just off the town square. Rugby has been moved to another venue due to the muddy fields (see pic). We plan on seeing some Rugby 7's Friday or Saturday.